Favored

 "Gabriel appeared to her and said, 'Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!'" Luke 1:26-38


"Um...are you sure about this?", I asked. I knew I was going to work on the maintenance crew for the summer, but I wasn't prepared for this news. "Yep", he said, "You're going to lead this team and make sure all of these critical support areas of the camp are right on track." I had never led anything. This plan didn't seem like a winning situation. I didn't know this; I didn't know that...blah, blah, blah. None of that mattered I was told. I was chosen and that was the end of it. 

I have to believe similar thoughts went through Mary's mind when old Gabriel showed up with some news for her straight from God. Mary was a young woman. She was a "lowly servant girl." She was not married, but was about to be pregnant. None of that played out well in her world. Yet, she was chosen to become the mother of the "Son of the Most High." Qualifications? Experience relevant to this task? None. She was simply God's choice, favored, and that was the end of it.

Too many times in our lives, we approach a relationship with God completely wrong-headed. "I'll be such a good person. God will think I'm a big deal and he'll really love me." Other times, "I can't believe I messed up so bad. God could never want me or use me for anything special." Our mistake is that we are putting ourselves at the center of the story. It's not about us. It's about him. Jesus came to deal with all our sin. Jesus makes us right with God. Jesus calls us and enables us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. It is his favor that matters not our perceived worthiness or unworthiness.

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